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Most powerful Audi - the R8 launched

DUBAI, August 17, 2015

Audi has unveiled its new high-performance R8 sports car, claimed to be the most powerful and  fastest Audi ever produced.

“Car racing has been a part of our Audi DNA for many decades,” says Ulrich Hackenberg, board member for Technical Development. “Audi stands for automotive dynamism, and this applies very much to our new high-performance R8 sports car. In all technical areas it is extremely close to being a race car.”

Audi has launched two versions of the R8 – the V10 and V10 plus models. With a 610 horse power engine and a top speed of 330 km/h, the V10 plus goes from 0-100 in just 3.2 seconds. Not lagging far behind, the R8 V10 boasts 540 horse power and achieves a top speed of 320 km/h. It can go from 0-100 in 3.5 seconds.  

The 5.2-litre V10 engine enables breath taking performance, and its hissing, roaring sound is highly emotional. Yet fuel economy has been improved by up to 13 per cent in the R8 model series compared to the previous models.

Positioned behind the V10 is a seven-speed S tronic system that executes lightning-fast gear shifts by electrical control (shift-by-wire).

The dual-clutch transmission directs forces to a newly designed quattro drive system with an electro hydraulically activated multi-plate clutch at the front axle. It has active water cooling for maximum performance. The clutch distributes drive torque fully variably according to the driving situation – up to 100 per cent can be directed to either the front or rear wheels.

Management of the clutch is integrated in the Audi drive select dynamic driving system, and it gives the driver a choice between the basic modes comfort – auto, dynamic and individual.

On the R8 V10 plus (and as an option for the V10), the performance mode comes with three additional modes: dry, wet and snow. They adapt key handling parameters to the friction coefficient of the road surface. A mechanical rear differential lock is standard; its locking values are newly tuned to work together with the actively controlled quattro drive.

The new Audi R8 V10 plus has a dry weight of just 1,454 kg. This was primarily due to its newly conceptualized Audi Space Frame (ASF) in multi-material construction – which consists of aluminium and CFRP parts. The ASF weighs just 200 kg. The entire underbody has a smooth covering, like on a race car, and the air flow exits via a large diffuser. This increases downforce. At top speed, this amounts to 40 kg at the front axle and 100 kg at the rear axle. The large CFRP rear wing also plays an important role in attaining these top figures.

Just like in a race car, the interior of the high-performance sports car focuses on the driver. The driver can read off all key information at a glance from the Audi virtual cockpit. The steering wheel, instrument cluster and road all line up along one central visual axis. Drivers can operate all important functions with the multifunction and satellite push-buttons without having to take their hands off the steering wheel or look away from the road.


The Audi virtual cockpit is user configurable, and it shows all displays in elaborate 3D graphics – if desired, with one large rev counter and auxiliary gages that show much more information, such as tire temperature and torque output. MMI navigation plus with MMI touch is standard equipment in the new R8. This high-end media centre was designed to follow a simple operating logic.

The motorsport DNA of the new Audi R8 also expresses itself in the chassis area with its aluminium double wishbone suspensions. On the V10 plus, the tuning is very sporty, and electronically controlled shock absorbers (Audi magnetic ride) are available as an option in both engine versions. The new electromechanical power steering system gives drivers finely differentiated road feedback. As an alternative, Audi can install dynamic steering, which adapts its steering gear ratio to the vehicle’s driving speed.

In both engine versions, the new Audi R8 has standard 19-inch wheels, and 20-inch wheels with size 245/30 tires in front and 305/30 at the rear are available as an option. The powerful brakes decelerate the car effectively; in the top model, the disks are made of carbon-fiber ceramic (optional on the R8 V.

The new Audi R8 is being built in a specially constructed production facility known as the “Audi Böllinger Höfe” in Heilbronn. Body manufacturing and final assembly both feature many new methods and are organized highly flexibly – especially for limited volume series with a handcrafted character.  - TradeArabia News Service
 




Tags: power | Audi |

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